Can anything be easy?!?!?!

Good lord... so yesterday my teamates received an email from Tri-bike transport that said we needed to drop them off with them by Thursday rather than Saturday, which threw a slight monkey wrench in our training plans, but we got it figured out. For some reason, I didn't receive this email, but I emailed the company to see why and make sure I really had a reservation! I also went to the website and emailed the information line the same questions. This morning at 10 a.m. I got a response from the gal that had emailed me the confirmation months ago, stating that yes, I indeed did have a reservation and all systems were "go". Whew! Praise the lord.

Meanwhile, emails were flying back and forth between my teammates and I about how displeased we were that the dates had been changed and at the last minute, when we really needed to be staying loose and riding these last few days before handing the bikes over for a week. Around 3 p.m., I get another email from a gal saying "No, you do not have a reservation". Uh, what? So I email her back a copy of the confirmation email I got earlier in the day from the other gal, and tell her she should check with this gal because she says I do have a reservation. Sheesh people...get your shit together!

So now that we have that situation under control (I think - more on this later), I head over to Richardson Bike Mart to pick up my bike that is getting a last minute tune-up and new bar tape on the aero bars. I dropped it off on Monday at lunch time and was told it would be ready for pick up on Wednesday by 5 - just in time for an after work ride. I called this morning to make sure, and they assured me it would be ready by 5. So I stroll in at 5:30 and they can't find my bike. After a few minutes of searching they find it in a back room, with nothing done to it whatsoever. GREAT. I have to hand it over in the morning to Tri-bike transport and it MUST HAVE A TUNE-UP!! So the guy tells me he'll start it right now and have it done by 7 p.m., which means my after-work ride is not going to happen. He offered to let me borrow a rental bike, but I didn't think this was a good idea, so I declined and went over to Sonic while they did my tune-up.

So while at Sonic, I cheated a little and had a kids cheeseburger and some tater tots, and they were really damn good! I sat in the driveup spot with the A/C and radio on for maybe 20 minutes and then decided to head back over to Bike Mart. Only the car won't start - dead battery. Good freakin lord. I knew my MeeMaw roomate was in the area, so I called her to come over and she happened to be about 2 blocks away. Of course neither of us have jumper cables let alone know how to use them lol Meanwhile, the guy from the bike shop calls and says my bike is done. Great. I can't get there to get it! So he tells me he'll call back in 5 minutes after he polls all the employees there to see if any of them have cables. Of course, out of about 20 MALE employees, NONE of them do. Great. As he and I are on the phone trying to figure this situation out, a car drives by with their window down in preparation to go through the Sonic drive through, so my loudmouth says "HEY! Do you have any jumper cables?". The man jumps out of his car and says "Lemme look". Success!!! I ask "Now, do you know how to use them, because we don't" lol He laughs and says "Yeah"...so MeeMaw goes to open her hood and can't do it (she thinks because of her broken hand - but it turns out she's pulling the parking break lever, not the hood lever) I said "MeeMaw, you're not even the blonde here!" Again, the guy laughs. He has my car started within about 2 minutes and after offering to buy his and his wife's Sonic dinner, I'm headed back to Bike Mart to get my bike.

So I pull up right in front of the service door and leave the car running so it doesn't die again. My bike is on the rack right by the door, all spit shined and looking speedy for the Ironman! Now my luck starts to change - they didn't charge me for the $100 tune-up! All I had to pay for was the new bar tape ($10.) SWEET!

I head home and call my friend Heidi to tell her about my horrible day and make sure she's ok because her son became a high schooler today lol Now the part that I didnt' get to tell her:

I walk in the door and get an email from the 2nd lady today that said I didn't have a reservation. Apparently, I somehow registered with a different bike transport company than all of my friends did, and I really don't have a reservation with Tri-Bike Transport, but mine is with Tri-TEAM transport lol

This is a good development for me, because they are still on the Saturday drop off schedule, which means I get to keep my bike for another couple of days (at this point, I'm not sure I want to lol) but it also means that I don't have to remove my pedals like Tri-Bike Transport requires. Tri-BIKE transport lets you leave everything on the bike, which is nice since of course, I don't know how to remove let alone put pedals back on lol

Unbelievable....so I did not ride tonight, but I CAN RIDE TOMORROW!!! I sure hope my Ironman "issues" are over and I can now have a fabulous race experience!

Ironman TRAINED!

The hard work is done, the final days are being counted down, we are in TAPER MODE and I FREAKIN' LOVE IT!!!

It's so nice to get some sort of life back outside of triathlon! This weekend I participated in the Swim Across America - this race was beneficial to me, as it was a 2-mile swim which I desperately needed to feel mentally ready for my 2.4 Ironman swim. It was also beneficial to raising money for cancer research. Every swimmer was required to raise $500 to participate. Some raised much more than that, and one man donated $100,000! Total raised for the day was $350,000! So awesome, and a very emotional morning as many people got up and told their stories of how cancer has affected their lives. We were given stones to write names of cancer survivors, or victims, and threw them into the water before we dove in, so that these people were "with" us as we swam for a cure. It was an awesome event, and although alot of people don't like to do fundraisers, and most of my friends and family just expect me to ask them for money for the latest and greatest fundraiser, this one was near and dear to my heart in many ways and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Signe, Me and Liz (MeeMaw #1) before the swim! (We're laughing now...)

After the event, I got to do something I have only done a handful of times in my life - kayaking! A group of 6 of us rented kayaks at Lake Grapevine and it was so nice to just do something DIFFERENT! After we kayaked, we waded and swam a bit in the water and it felt awesome in the heat. Then we went to get some food and drink, and finally headed home to shower and head to a birthday party. By the time I got to bed, it was 10:30 at night and I had not stopped all day!

So fun!

Karen, Minou, Robin and Me getting ready to paddle the lake!

The next morning, I had a 60-mile ride scheduled, but I "allowed" myself to sleep until damn well pleased, which turned out to be 9:30 a.m.! Victory! The only problem with that was that now I got to do my ride in the 95 degree heat of Texas. Oops. 38 miles into the ride at the lake, I headed for home to finish up on the trainer INSIDE with the A/C blasting.

So here it is Tuesday night, 12 days before the Ironman and we get an email from Tri-bike transport saying they have to have our bikes THURSDAY by 3 pm, rather than Saturday! Augh....my bike is at the shop right now getting a tune-up, so no rides for 2 days already and now they want it 3 days earlier??? Crap. It also means that my tri-bag that's going with it must be packed NOW.

So that's what got accomplished tonight, after I finally found time to clean my bedroom and bathroom!

Let the packing and preparation BEGIN! Taper is ON! Unfortunately, I'll be without a bike for 10 days prior to the race. Not really how I envisioned this week, and also means I'll probably have to go suffer on a spin bike at the gym just to keep loose. The spin bike is almost as bad as the Dreadmill. Gross.

On another note, Texas is getting very hot these days! I'm so glad that the long runs and rides are mostly over and I won't have to train in the dog days of summer! Next Wednesday I'll head to Seattle and then on over to Coeur d'Alene!

BRING ON THE IRONMAN!!!

3 weeks until Ironman!

Whew what a weekend! Saturday morning I cycled from Brookhaven College to Los Colinas for the Keifer Swim races (300, 750 and 1500 yards). I swam with Robin in the 300 (her first race in which she ROCKED IT!), and then participated in the 750 and 1500 yard swims for a total of 2550 yards of open water swimming. GREAT practice for the Ironman. The water was like bath water though, so no wetsuits were allowed.

Canoer's waiting to rescue drowners lol

The venue - Lake Carolyn in Los Colinas. The 1500 yard swim went up and down that canal.

Mass swim start!

Me exhibiting my HORRIBLE form! (But somehow it won me 1st place in my age bracket for the 750 race - I'm pretty sure I was the only one in it!).

So unfortunately, when I jumped in the water to start the first swim, I hit a "curb" beside the lake wall and bruised the CRAP out of my heel, which is also reeking havoc on my hip and back, so I must have really jarred it good. Freakin' fantastic. Good thing tomorrow starts TAPERING!!!

So today I woke up at 6:00 (after going to bed at 8:45 the night before - I was BEAT), and met some new friends for a long ride. I had 100 miles scheduled, and got 54 of them in outside with them until they had to get back for a birthday party. I headed home after getting some grub (starving!) and did the rest of the 100 miles on the trainer under the fan in the air conditioned apartment. Since it was 95 degrees out at 11:30 a.m., I decided this was a better option - besides, I got to watch a softball game and "Black Swan". What a trippy movie.

Me, Stacey, Serena and Michelle getting ready to battle the heat!

So we should be starting to taper our workouts off from now until the ironman, to give our bodies time to heal and rest up for the big day. The hard work is done, now just to get through the freakin' RACE! Holy smokes this stuff is a lot of work. What the hell was I thinking? I'll sure be glad when I can check "Ironman" off my bucket list.

3.3 weeks to go!

OMG I'm so tired...I'm tired of swimming, I'm tired of biking and I'm tired of running! I have no time to get anything done anymore. My house is trashed, I'm constantly doing laundry (workout clothes) and all I want to do is SLEEP! I can't even find time to BLOG! Good grief. My facebook has seriously suffered - and my friends know, I love me some facebook lol

Things should start slowing down a bit though as we begin the taper phase of Ironman training leading up to the race. THANK GOD!!! And it's perfect timing as the temperature and humidity in Texas are starting to get unbearable to be out running 18 milers in.

Yesterday I had a checkup with my internist to make sure my blood pressure is still in check and everything is good to go for race day. Other than a SUPER low heart rate (36 bpm!)all checked out great. They were amazed at how slow my heart rate is, but I can attribute part of that to good heredity and all the working out. It's good to know that I have the blessing of my doctor to go out and destroy my body for a day.

So if you don't hear much from me until after the race, please forgive me. Also, please don't come over to my house - it's trashed. Unless you want to clean for me?

Oh, and the BEST news I got this week - my BFF and now personal massage therapist for CdA is COMING TO THE IRONMAN WITH ME!! YAY FOR ROBIN RAY!!! If anyone wants her number for the best massage EVER - lemme know. She freakin' ROCKS!!!

Onward and upward!

Wow, it's been a while since I posted...mostly because I'm so dang busy, I can't keep up with anything these days! If you want to have a life outside of triathlon, DO NOT attempt an Ironman. The training schedule is grueling! When I'm not at work, I'm training nearly every morning and every night. I stand by my statement "One and Done". My friends think I have deserted them. Please friends, don't give up on me! My apartment had been seriously neglected lately until the other night when I missed my workout due to horrible allergies. I took the opportunity to clean the entire place. Hopefully it will last another 7 weeks until the Ironman!

Tonight I actually got a night out (with fellow triathletes lol) at the Texasman Triathlon pre-race social. It was a great opportunity to put some names with faces, and meet some new friends. It's great to compare race stories and training strategies. It's also good to know that there are other crazy people out there that attempt this insane training and race distance.

The Texasman Triathlon is this Sunday. Sprint, Olympic and X50 distances are offered. We CdA trainees are doing the X50 distance, but lucky us, we get to add another 6 miles onto the end of the run so we can simulate our Ironman race. The X-50 consists of a 1 mile swim 40 mile bike ride and 9 mile run (so our run total will be 15 miles). It will be great practice for the big dance!

So one of the bragging rights of doing an Ironman is getting an Ironman M-Dot Tattoo, like this:

It's a right of passage, most people put on the back of their calves.

I have redesigned what I may get to look like this, for a IronWOMAN:

How's that look? I may or may not add the CdA info at the bottom. I have a feeling that would have to be too detailed (which means they have to make it bigger to be legible). Since I know my mother would have a heart attack if I tattooed my entire back with this, I think I'll keep it small lol The location on my body is still undecided as of yet also. I thought it turned out quite well though :) Who knew *I* could be artistic?

Thanks for reading...time for all Ironman trainees to get to bed. I get to swim in the morning and bike hills tomorrow night. Yay me. Goodnight all!!

Preparation and Planning

This is my life - bags and bags and more bags, every single day I have to pack 1, 2, 3 or more bags of STUFF! Today, was my swim bag for this morning, my breakfast AND lunch, my run bag for tonight, my purse and then my bike! It's a miracle that I didn't forget anything in any one of those bags. So much STUFF has to be in each one. The swim bag has all my work clothes, shampoo and soap, makeup, blow dryer, etc etc etc. You get the picture, basically everything I need to get ready for work. The run bag isn't quite as busy, but if I forget just one thing (my shorts!), it doesn't make for a pleasant run. The breakfast and lunch are necessary to keep me from eating CRAP, which I will, so it's a preventative measure. I am my own worst enemy. I freakin' LOVE junk food. The other miracle is that I got all of this STUFF down to the car in ONE TRIP!

Triathletes are planners. I'm learning to be better at it, but it's definitely a work in progress. As I rode with my friend Denise on Saturday, she asked me what I was going to wear for the Ironman (which is still just a little over 8 weeks away!). I was stopped dead in my tracks (not literally, because again, we were riding) because I hadn't even thought about this yet...I can barely figure out what I'm going to wear TOMORROW, let alone 2 months from now lol She has all 3(!) of her "outfits" picked out already lol Apparently, Denise is a much better planner than I am. She also has her nutrition plan mostly honed in, I on the other hand have again, no idea lol and just figure I'll get to it sooner or later.

Hmmm...so maybe I should start planning my Ironman race lol but I think I'll start tomorrow, or next week? Whenever it is, I'll be ready!!

Time marches on...

Here I am at just under 9 weeks until race day (my coach likes to remind me how many weeks are left on my training schedule each week). I'm so ready for it to just be tomorrow! I can't keep up with my house cleaning, my grocery shopping, and even my social life! Last week alone, I worked out just under 17 hours (Swam 6400 yards, ran 24 miles and cycled 160 miles!) The hours will continue to go up and up and up until we get to the taper period. Ugh, I so can't wait for tapering!!!

The weather here in Texas has been really bad this week (hot, humid, extremely windy, thunder and lightening storms!) Not exactly ideal training conditions, but "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", or so I'm told...The wind may be just what I need to get me ready for the hills of Idaho. I just about got blown off my bike on Sunday.

And yes, I'm tired! As a result, I have my first ever black toenail, and another one is mostly missing. After 12 years of running many, many miles, I finally have my badge of honor lol Yay? At least the other 3 toes look nice lol

So today I got a day off from training, to recooperate, and boy did I need it. My fridge is full again, the house is mostly clean, and my car is in the shop for some much needed maintenance. I feel so accomplished as I head to bed early for my first Triple Threat track workout in the morning for some speedwork. This granny wants to be faster!

I also had a great conversation with my coach this weekend...we had been really slacking in the communication department, so it was good to get some things ironed out. This is definitely a work in progress, and I want to get all the information and training that I can so that June 26, 2011 isn't the end of me or my triathlon career!

Last, but not least, my poor roomate MeeMaw bit it yesterday on her bike and broke her wrist! I feel so horrible for her, but it's a good reminder to BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! The good news

is, if they have to amputate, she can become a ParaOlympic athlete!

Balance - it has disappeared!

My life as I know it is gone, and it will be until June 27. My social life is seriously suffering. Ask my good friend, Robin. She told me today that SHE is tired of my Ironman training lol Really? YOU are tired of MY training? lol Well guess what, I am too! I'm so tired lately. It doesn't help that my cat decides to play under my bed all night long and wake me up constantly. When I have a 5 a.m. wakeup call and he decides to start jumping on the dresser and knocking stuff off at 4 a.m., the squirt bottle comes out! He's not helping matters.

One of my fellow Coeur d'Alene Ironman athletes posted this conversation between she and her husband, on her facebook today:

Michael: "Are you starting to feel like an Ironman?"
Denise: "If feeling like a broken down old lady is feeling like an Ironman, then yes."

And some of the comments to it:

Karen - "That's how it feels. The last 3 months of training are rough."
Kris - "I just want to sleep!!! lol"
Chris - "HAHA.. hang in there.. you guys are going to do amazing."
Jim - "I feel the same way. Well not the lady part. Broken down old man :) Just remember "You can dooooooo it"

And the best of all:
Denise - "It will all be worth it because I WILL BE AN IRONMAN."

Ironman training is crazy, and the next few months are going to be even more out of whack than I can ever imagine. But I know, in the end when I have crossed that finish line, have that medal around my neck and a beer in my hand, every minute of this will be worth it to be able to say "I AM AN IRONMAN!" (Or as I've been reminded by a few people "IRONWOMAN"!

And don't worry Robin, the fun Kris will be back!

Travel is not conducive to Ironman training!

I don't know why I even pack my workout stuff when I travel. I never use it. I did get ONE run in this weekend when I was in Seattle, but no swims (unless you count the puddles we had to wade through on our run!), no cycling, and no weight training done. I have full access to the Poulsbo Athletic Club if I want, and I know the way to the Bainbridge Pool. I just hate to waste what little time I have with the grandbabies and my daughters with workouts. It seems so selfish to take time away from them. Besides, they're so much fun and I miss them so much! It's really hard to deal with.

The other evil of traveling is food choices. Many poor (but delicious!) ones were made this weekend. Including the most awesome banana cream pie at the Chimacum Cafe'! If you haven't been there, you simply MUST go!

I also indulged in almost all of my favorite Kitsap County locales, including Chungs Teriyaki, Los Cabos, Spiros, and the best breakfast place of all - Sheilas Waterfront Cafe! Oh, and we musn't forget the Cinnamon Martini's at Sono de Vino on the downtown Poulsbo Waterfront! (It's Heidi's fault...)

So I returned to Dallas at 1 a.m Monday morning (up a full 4 lbs!), and ended up pulling an 11 hour day at work. Fabulous. Another missed training day. Sabatoged again.

Today I was back at it with a 3000 yard swim before work this morning and then a 1.5 hour bike ride and 45 minutes of weights after work. Dinner was at 8:30 p.m., as it often is these days. I'm off to bed by 10:30 and will be up at 5:30 to get a 7 mile run in before work, and then hopefully a swim after work, if I don't end up having to stay late again. This work stuff really gets in the way of my training sometimes!

On another note, my USAT Membership packet came this week! Bring on the 2011 Triathlon season and a new age bracket!

Athletic Supporters

YES! My sister and her family are flying down from Alaska to watch me complete the Ironman!!! I can't tell you how excited I am! They'll be joining my kids and grandkids and hopefully a few friends at the finish line to cheer me in! Don't tell my brother-in-law, but I'm going to beg him to be my beer boy the day after because I have no intentions of leaving a lounge chair ALL DAY!

So this week has been a week of getting back on schedule, back into my routine after having the flu last week that derailed me from the Cowtown Half Marathon. I've done a pretty good job of getting things done and haven't missed a workout yet, so I'm pretty proud of that. So far so good! I am even planning an extra workout tomorrow morning, just because the morning is free! I feel like I'm back on track, and it feels good! My diet has also been good, for the most part lol What I eat makes a very big difference in how I feel and how much energy I have for my workouts.

Sunday night I made a batch of my favorite super food for athletes, brown rice and red beans. Easiest thing in the world to make and super delicious!



The past few months have really opened my eyes up as to why America is such a FAT NATION. For one thing, serving sizes are way too big. Sodium levels are extremely high, as well as fat content. It's no wonder we are all so fat! My mother told me the other day that she used to feed our family of 4 kids with ONE Cornish Game hen! (She also said one can of corn beef hash, but we all know now that isn't the healthiest thing in the world lol) But seriously, the nation is horribly overweight and the food industry is hugely at fault for that. Thank god for people like Michelle Obama that are trying to right that ship! We must educate our young people, keep them active and busy so that they don't end up with the same health problems that the rest of us are getting these days. I myself suffer with high blood pressure and I know it's partly due to the sodium content in all the foods we eat.

So please everyone, learn the lesson before it's too late. Eat healthy as much as you can. It makes a huge difference in now only how you look, but how you feel. Food is energy, not a luxury!

Oh my gosh...what have I gotten myself into?

114 days. In 114 days, I WILL have an Ironman finish under my belt and a medal around my neck. The next 114 days will be filled with long swims, long rides and long runs, diet restrictions and healthy eating. I damn well better lose some weight! I can't wait. Honestly, I just wish it were tomorrow so I could get it overwith! It's already been a long winter of training (indoors for the most part - which I'm really, really, really over!) The bike trainer and treadmill (fondly coined the "dreadmill") are great for keeping your base training up, but they are just not as fun or as good of a workout as being out on the open road. The pool will always be about laps, but the lake swims are important too, and as soon as it warms up a bit, I'll be out there once a week thrashing around with fellow teammates so we can get the feel of the swim start at the Ironman. A mere 2,000 racers start the swim ALL TOGETHER - think spin cycle on a washing machine.

You literally get beat up in the swim. It's a fight the entire way, no matter what your strategy in the lake. The swim start is just the beginning of a full day of beat down lol And let me just say, that women are worse offenders than men!

My journey to the Ironman has taken me 4 years to go to the point of "wanting" to do the full distance, and I'm still questioning WTF I was thinking! As I said in the title of my blog, this will more than likely (never say never...) be my first AND LAST Ironman. I am not fast enough on any of the 3 events to ever qualify for the Kona Championships, nor do I want to lol The training is long and arduous, and my social life for the next few months will more than likely be non-existent, and I love to be social! So I'm apologizing to all my friends now for all the invites that I will more than likely have to decline in the near future - please do not give up on me. I'll be back, with an Ironman checked off my bucket list. Save me a beer....